Jim in the fight to save Louth Hospital

[DazedOblivion]

Just as Sharon did a few years back in 2002 (see HERE), Jim has stepped forward to support the Louth Hospital. Jim has joined the Save Our Hospital Campaign:


It appears that, on the 3rd of September, it was announced by the Health Service Executive (HSE) that services available at the Louth Hospital in Dundalk are to be downgraded.

On the 8th of October, an estimated crowd of 700 inside and outside of Dundalk Town Hall attended a protest meeting to support the "Save The Louth Hospital Campaign". The people of Dundalk came out in force to strongly voice their objections to the proposed downgrading of acute services at Louth County Hospital planned for this November. These crucial services would be moved from Dundalk to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda before the end of the year. According to John Whatley, a General Practitioner in Dundalk (quoted in this article HERE), it could cost lives, since emergency patients would have longer to travel. He warned the 'golden hour' - the vital 60 minutes doctors have after a patient suffers heart attack, stroke or trauma - will now be cut in half for Dundalk people who will spend 50% of that hour on their way to Drogheda.

Another article on the topic can be found HERE.

[cw]

Jim will be speaking at a march in Dundalk this evening (Thursday 12th Nov). It will be streamed lived online on www.dundalkfm.com and www.louthhospital.com from 7pm GMT.

[DazedOblivion]

Thanks for the post.

Jim is in a worthy fight on this one. The people of Dundalk should have a hospital close enough to meet their needs during an emergency, if they want one. I have reason from recent personal experience to know how important this can be.

From the Save the Louth Hospital webmaster:

After years of campaigning to preserve the services at the Louth Hospital our campaign has reached a moment of truth. With an imminent threat to services at the hospital the time has come for the people of Louth to take to our streets to protest against these proposed cuts. We value the services and staff of the Louth Hospital more than ever and we have all had to call on them in our times of greatest need. They have not let us down so we are calling on you not to let them down and to join the march on Thursday night to the Town Square.

Come out, be seen, be heard, txt your family and email your friends. The time to make a stand is now and all of the route details are on www.louthhospital.com. People power can make a difference.

I wish the people of Dundalk well as they take to the streets tonight to march in opposition to the move by the bureaucrats at the HSE.

[DazedOblivion]

I also noted that someone named "Andrea Corr" has signed the online petition to save the Louth Hospital.

[DazedOblivion]

I just finished listening to the entire broadcast of the protest, and Jim did a brilliant job in his speech. It was very moving to hear all the speakers.

[cw]

To his credit, this issue is one to which Jim has remained committed.

www.independent.ie/national-news/jim-joins-battle-for-hometown-hospital-2235951.html

POP star Jim Corr last night joined hundreds of protesters fighting to hold onto acute services at his local hospital.

But Anita McCann, spokeswoman for the Save the Louth County Hospital Committee, told an estimated crowd of 500 in Dundalk town square they would fight on despite the closures being scheduled for next week.

Jim Corr, of the famous pop band The Corrs, and his father Gerry are long-term supporters.

From next Friday, patients "will never spend another night in an acute bed in the Louth", the rally was told, and Ms McCann accused local politicians of not "giving a damn".

Among the protesters was Pat Markey from nearby Blackrock who has attended the hospital for 36 years and was the last patient to leave the male ward the previous day.

Recovering from a stroke, he said he owes his life to the hospital and his treatment of the staff during his eight week stay. "I wouldn't have made it only the hospital is there", he said.

Una McArdle, a clerical admissions officer who has worked in the hospital for 27 years, is a member of the committee battling to save the hospital.

She spoke of the "heartbreak of staff" and their disbelief as wards closed yesterday.

- Terry Conlon

Irish Independent

[DazedOblivion]

Well done, Jim, in this situation. Unfortunately, it looks as if the citizens of Dundalk are losing their battle against the politicians and bureaucrats.

From what I have read, it's not JUST that the Health Service Executive is closing the closest hospital that was available to them during a traumatic health emergency. That alone is bad enough. But it's also that Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda - where the people of Dundalk are to be diverted - is not even well-equipped enough to handle the patients it already had before this influx of new patients that will be caused by the closure of Louth County Hospital. It must be very frustrating.

I can sympathize because, where I live, we have an out-of-touch government that is doing great harm to its citizens, and all the marches and protests by people who have lost their livelihood don't seem to move a federal government that is 3700 kilometers away and doesn't give a damn for anything other than political ideology.